Under water after sharp shower

Pictures by Pabitra Das

Sharp showers in the morning and pitter-patter afterwards was the rain story on Sunday but even that proved too much for some pockets in the city that remained inundated till night. Metro paddled through such pockets in Behala and Picnic Garden and spoke to residents about the problems they were facing.

Where: KK Roy Chowdhury Road, Behala

When: 1.15pm

What we saw: The area near Behala Sakherbazar, especially around Chanditala, was under ankle- to knee-deep water. The water had also entered shops and the ground floor of houses. Many residents spent the better part of the day draining out water from their homes.

Resident’s woes: “I have been living here for 30 years and have faced the situation every monsoon. Even if it rains for just half an hour, this place gets waterlogged for the entire day,” said Adhir Chatterjee, a resident who owns a sweet shop on KK Roy Chowdhury Road. Chowdhury opened his shop around 11am on Sunday only to drain out accumulated water and to put some padding under the shutter to keep out water.

Where: Narayan Roy Road, Behala

When: 1.30pm

What we saw: The water reached up to the waist at places. Two roadside civic taps were barely visible above the waterline. The ground floors of all the houses were flooded, forcing many to shift furniture. Many high-rise buildings had stopped operating lifts as water had accumulated in the basement. Transportation was the biggest problem with rickshawpullers demanding eight times the actual fare.

Resident’s woes: “The drainage on this road is so poor that it gets flooded even after a short spell of rain and the water does not recede the entire day. We had been under water for three consecutive days after four hours of heavy rain,” said Saikat Dutta, a resident who studies at Asutosh College.

Where: Silpara Main Road, Behala

When: 1.45pm

What we saw: A part of the road has been eaten up for repairs on underground water pipelines. Waterlogging made the remaining portion dangerous even for pedestrians. Bikers and cyclists were dragging their vehicles along lest they ride into a crater hidden under water and injure themselves.

Resident’s woes: “My neighbour fell off his motorcycle in the morning while returning home from the market. I do not want to take a chance. It is better to get my trousers wet than injure myself,” said Arunabha Dasgupta, who was dragging his motorcycle home along the waterlogged road.

Where: Kushtia Road

When: 3.15pm

What we saw: The area was under knee-deep water. Most residents had put up barricades to stop the water from entering their homes but those proved to be of little help on Sunday. Those who had hired sweepers to drain out water had to shell out between Rs 200 and Rs 300. Power had been switched off in several waterlogged houses to avoid short-circuits.

Resident’s woes: “Three of my relatives were to visit us in the afternoon. I had to call them in the morning and request them not to come since the entire area is inundated,” said Jagannath Halder, a resident of adjacent Sridhar Roy Road.